I. In memoriam, Sir Rutherford Alcock, K.C.B., D.C.L. II. Sturges lecture for 1897 / by George Cowell.

  • Cowell, George, 1836-1927.
Date:
[1897]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: I. In memoriam, Sir Rutherford Alcock, K.C.B., D.C.L. II. Sturges lecture for 1897 / by George Cowell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Gentlemen, three years ago I had the honour of represent- ing Westminster Hospital at the eleventh International Medical Congress at Rome, and this summer I again had the gratification of being appointed the delegate of Westminster Hospital at the twelfth International Medical Congress, which was held in Moscow in the month of August last. These International Medical Congresses are held triennially, and are always of great and varied interest. They permit of intercourse between physicians and surgeons of different nationalities, and so far curb our British insularity that they teach us to recognise that there are other and often better scientific methods than those that are familiar to us, and that in many of the hospitals abroad there are forms of con- struction and arrangement, and principles of government, which are in some respects better than our own, and from which we may obtain ideas which may often be applied with great advantage to the institutions at home in which we happen to be interested. It occurred to me, therefore, when I received your kind invitation to deliver the Sturges Lecture, that some account of my visit to the Moscow Congress would not fail to interest the Society, and I was glad to find that this subject was acceptable to the ('ommittee. A visit to the Russian cities and the Russian people adds a great charm of novelty to the dry details of the Congress itself. The hugeness of the country, the length and diffi- culties of the journey, the irritating passport and customs arrangements are all deterrents to the ordinary traveller; and when I tell you that I travelled over 4,000 miles of railways in the journey there and back, you will see that it is not a light expedition to undertake. It is true that those who enjoy the sea can go direct to St. Petersburg in excellent steamers, but my previous journeys by sea have not been in all respects satisfactory, and I regard them with mixed fee - ino-s. The route I adopted was that by rail via Berlin and Warsaw, leaving St. Petersburg to be visited on my return. The interest begins with the arrival of the train at the Russian frontier town of Alexandrowo at half-past one in the morning. So one was permitted to leave the train until the Government officials had collected the passports, which